2026 marketing calendar for D2C brands

Pitch January content at "exercising more" — the most common resolution — and aim it at under-45s, who are about twice as likely to make one. A 30-day challenge series filmed by several creators beats a single launch post.

Spending is about the party, not the game: NRF/Prosper put Super Bowl LX spending at a record $20.2 billion ($94.77 per person). "Host the watch party" content (snack boards, décor, outfits) is where your product fits — you do not need a TV ad.

Go beyond couples: 35% planned gifts for pets, 33% for friends and 21% for co-workers, and online was the top shopping destination (38%). "Gifts for your dog / your bestie / your work wife" angles reach shoppers most brands ignore.

Food dominates Lunar New Year buying across markets (64–75%), and in Singapore 43% start 2–4 weeks ahead — so run food / snack gifting creator videos 3–4 weeks before, not in New Year week.

Treat it as a ~60-day season, not one day: 27% start planning 2–3 weeks before Ramadan, 67% end up buying more than planned, and 7 in 10 seek Ramadan content. Start with prep/hosting videos before Ramadan and finish with Eid gifting.

92% plan to buy candy, but more money goes to gifts ($3.9B) and clothing ($3.7B) than candy ($3.5B). Use candy as the hook and sell the "Easter basket upgrade" or outfit.

75% buy flowers, but jewelry leads spending ($7.5B of a record $38B). Position your product as "the gift next to the flowers" rather than competing with them.

Electronics and personal care show the largest gains, and online is the top destination (38%). Creator "grooming kit / gadget test" reviews fit better than generic gift lists.

It lifts spend across ALL retailers, not just Amazon: U.S. online spend hit $24.1B over the 4 days in 2025, with mobile at 53.2%. Run mobile-first creator videos for your own store in the same window.

Searches for "same day delivery rakhi" jump the day before, and 90% of festive shoppers treat delivery within two days as non-negotiable. Run "still arrives in time" creator videos in the final 48 hours.

49% start Halloween shopping in September or earlier, and pet costumes alone are a $0.92B category. Post costume / décor ideas in early September; pet angles are an underused niche.

Interest in "Diwali sales" starts surging as early as August, and festive shoppers watched 7.7 online videos before buying. Seed creator videos from August — and make sure your brand shows up on Google search, where social discovery hands off.

It is now a five-week season (Oct 7 – Nov 11 in 2025, GMV 1,695 billion CNY), and short-video platforms (Kuaishou, Douyin) start first. Seed content in early October.

Social media's share of holiday revenue grew 40.3% YoY (to 4.6%) and affiliates/partners including creators drove 20.4%; Black Friday ($11.8B, +9.1%) grew faster than Cyber Monday. Front-load creator posts to Thanksgiving week.

Still the single biggest online day ($14.25B in 2025) inside a $44.2B Cyber Week, with buy-now-pay-later at $1.03B on Cyber Monday alone. Mention installment options in the creator script if you offer them.

43% start holiday shopping before November, and 47% say they would like to receive gift cards. Run gift-guide creator videos from October, then "what to buy with your gift card" videos in the week after Christmas.

UK Boxing Day footfall jumped 4.4% year-on-year in 2025 — people went back to stores. If you sell in stores, pair creator videos with an "in store today" call-to-action, not only an online code.

62% had already started back-to-school shopping by early July, and college spending ($103.5B) is more than double K-12 ($43.3B). Launch in June, and don't forget dorm/college angles.